Draft civil service law reworked

The governing coalition has reworked the draft of a new civil service law
reflecting a recent compromise agreement reached with the opposition
parties. The new proposal does not include the establishment of a public
service directorate and an independent public service top official who
would govern public administration and be immune from political
interference. Under the new proposal, the civil service would fall under
the interior ministry, and be overseen by a deputy minister in charge of
public administration. The compromise agreement reached with the opposition
caused a rift within the governing Social Democratic Party with the
Minister for Human Rights Jiří Dienstbier saying the new arrangement
would fail to depoliticize the civil service as planned. Prime Minister
Bohuslav Sobotka has defended the compromise on the grounds that the
country urgently needs a new civil service law. The new proposal will now
be put to the opposition parties.